Chapter 295

The head of Nakeun County took it upon himself to protect a small facility in the city.

Now, Hyeonseung is the highest official of a small city, and in a district like Nakeun, he is the second-in-command, just below the head of the county.

So, it’s quite a slap in the face for him; if other Hyeonseungs from different cities heard about it, they wouldn’t just be thinking about the money involved but also about maintaining their dignity. They would probably be shaking their heads and spitting in disbelief at how he could show his face in such a situation.

The price of Hyeonseung’s personal appearance will eventually be heavily charged to the Zhangxing Company.

However, what’s even more intriguing is that Qing, who had been busy buying grain from the merchants, showed up leading the patrol officers in just a couple of hours.

This really shows the influence of the Zhangxing Company.

Of course, for someone so firmly planted in his position to move around so diligently, it takes more than just one reason to motivate him.

Thus, there were multiple reasons for the government’s unexpectedly swift response.

First of all, the head of Zhangxing Company is indeed sworn brothers with the top commander from Shaanxi Province, meaning they’re quite tightly knit.

However, the Shaanxi commander is still just that—commanding in Shaanxi, while this is Henan territory.

So, while he is a superior, in a way, they’re separated by different networks of connections.

While one could earn merits and repaying debts by rescuing Zhangxing Company, that alone doesn’t account for why he would send his second-in-command to personally handle things.

Therefore, to balance the scales with the government’s intervention, a hefty bill for Hyeonseung’s travel expenses is likely perched on the opposite side.

But the biggest reason is that Qing unilaterally started a relief effort.

Traditionally, when it comes to aid, the proper custom is to first inform the government and share the credit.

And if the aid amounts to a hundred coins, it is customary to first reward about thirty coins to those officials who have worked hard for the state.

This is an unspoken etiquette and procedure not formally set by national law.

So, upon hearing of the relief effort, the highest authority in Nakeun, Nakeun Jihyeon, roared in anger, demanding that this impudent girl be brought to him at once.

If things followed the right order, Qing should have first visited the official office to politely greet them, after which, out of forty coins, ten would rightfully need to be offered to senior officials, and then, with both agency and her name put forward (with the agency first), they should have set out for relief efforts.

If Qing had heard such a blasphemous thing as “Heaven’s Kill,” she would certainly not have kept quiet, especially with the day marking the anniversary when all the officials would gather for a ceremony in Nakeun.

She would be sitting idly by, stuffing her face with gold and silver, later pretending to have shared in the benevolent act, as if leading the way along with them.

But Jihyeon has her complaints too.

How much had been spent in gold and silver to elevate a mere official to the position of Jihyeon?

From bribes and corrupt money collected from the underlings, he worked day and night, pouring everything his family owned into securing this position.

At the very least, he needs to see a return on that investment.

However, even though Hyeonseung’s stepping in would mean a loss of face, he thought about how much he would collect from the Zhangxing Company later on, making him smile as he hurried the patrol officers over.

This is how the central plains operate.

Surprisingly enough, such a situation occurs across the historical timeline of cultures stemming from various civilizations around the world.

This is human nature, a universal cultural matter spanning the East and West, past, present, and future.

But Qing is clueless.

And quite uninterested.

She was just trying to help the disaster victims with her own cash (technically it’s not hers), yet the government is obstructing rather than assisting, and it irked her completely.

“Are you not going to move aside?”

“Do you not realize you are breaking serious national laws right now!?”

“Me? What have I done?”

“Did you not lure the poor and desperate commoners here with vile words to gather them together? Oh, your intentions are clearly nefarious! Surely you mean to gather a mob to attack the facility and seize resources!”

“Gathering? Who’s gathering?”

“Playing dumb, are we? Just behind you—”

“Whoa, heck! Hello everyone!”

Qing turned around and pretended to be surprised.

The crowd was left baffled, unsure how to react, blinking their eyes in confusion.

“Hey, Hyeonseung Daein, you’re blocking the path. People can’t get through and it’s making things awkward. Am I right, folks?”

Only then did some in the crowd begin to catch on to Qing’s intentions.

“Right!”

“Hyeonseung-nari, we were merely waiting to pass since the path was blocked.”

“Oh dear, there are too many people, I can’t get through. It’s impossible to move forward or backward.”

We didn’t gather here on purpose.

We’re just folks passing by.

But now the government has blocked the way?

So here we find ourselves stuck.

Qing gazed at Hyeonseung with a triumphant glint in her eye.

“What an unreasonable…

The sheer audacity was astonishing; was he wearing a mask of iron or was his face as tough as the legendary Vajra? He was left utterly speechless.

Hyeonseung’s mouth flapped uselessly, while Qing’s polite smile turned wicked.

“Hyeonseung Daein, these mayflies are quite bold, aren’t they? They are mere creatures that can be easily squished by a single swat, yet they gather at dusk, flying about as if they own the place.”

By this point, Hyeonseung started to realize what was going on.

With just a hand gesture, a wall a foot high was brought down, and with a simple stomp, another wall came crashing down.

The skilled practitioners!

And not just any average practitioners.

– Hmm. Might as well just kill them all.

The low muttering echoed loudly in Hyeonseung’s ears.

This technique is called premonition, or more precisely, it was akin to premonition.

Qing hadn’t fully mastered it yet, so her execution was a bit rough around the edges.

Hyeonseung’s heart dropped at the realization.

How could a mere mumble be heard at this distance? Could it be due to a heightened sense of danger he felt?

Amidst all this, Qing reached out her hand toward Hyeonseung.

Hyeonseung, in shock, immediately rolled away onto the ground.

The rain from the night before had left the ground covered in puddles and mud, making things slippery.

As he rolled in the muck, a delightfully tinkling bell sound teased Hyeonseung’s ear.

“Oh my, Hyeonseung Daein, why did you suddenly trip all by yourself? You fell pretty hard, didn’t you?”

“Uh, you…”

“Oh, Hyeonseung Daein, I did not mean to offend today, but would you mind telling me where you live? I’d like to quietly stop by and apologize later.”

Hyeonseung’s mind snapped into clarity.

“Quietly. Alone. Silently.”

If she were to come at him in the middle of the night with a knife, he knew no title or position would save him.

It was then that the five words he recalled resurfaced clearly in his mind—Official Imposition of Non-Interference!

Originally, the phrase was meant for officials to protect them from murderous perpetrators wielding swords.

After all, what martial individuals feared was not the government but rather the imperial palace, which possessed the countless cannons at its disposal.

The palace could be part of the government, but the government would never become the palace, thus if martial practitioners were determined to kill, the authorities would be utterly clueless about who the perpetrator was.

In fact, should things go south, martial practitioners often take their frustrations out on officials.

But the only officials whom martial practitioners tend to harm are those mediocre bottom-tier ones and small local officers.

Considering there are stories of emperors being dangled from the top of the palace by absolute masters, it seems Hyeonseung found himself in quite the pickle.

Oh no, he had genuinely messed with the wrong skilled person.

Hyeonseung was filled with regret.

Though, he wasn’t regretting only.

“No! No! That’s not it! The path is just a little slippery; no, what is this road even! The drainage is not working! *Ahem*.”

As a note, drainage in the central plains doesn’t tend to work well during heavy rains.

It was a pathetic excuse.

“Well then, may I pass?”

“Of course. Hurry along, no, please turn back!”

Do you really want me to turn back, though?

Thus, Qing took her steps firmly into the Zhangxing Company, her heels clicking against the damp ground.

Following her was a wave of the crowd.

“Is this really okay?”

“Oh, come on now. Hyeonseung-nari said it was fine, didn’t he?”

While some people voiced their concerns, the morale of the crowd soared, especially after having just routed the patrol officers under Hyeonseung.

Thus, they headed into Zhangxing Company.

Little did they know their path wouldn’t lead them through the gate but instead straight through the wall. The servants of the Company rushed out, begging them not to enter and trying their best to block the way.

Of course, the number of folks behind Qing far outnumbered them, so they could only retreat, begging to avoid any confrontation.

As they pushed forward, Qing wondered just how expansive this manor was.

The servants simply couldn’t withstand it, and soon a line of warriors charged in to halt them.

Yet, wasn’t this the same Qing who had already overwhelmed them numerous times?

In fact, this time Qing didn’t even need to lift a finger.

“Lady Seomun, it’s been a while. Do you remember me? I’m So Juhang, the top disciple of Nakeun Military Commander. I introduced myself at the Dragon and Phoenix Association.”

Who’s this guy acting all familiar?

But now, Qing was a proper Orthodox Martial Artist, so it wouldn’t occur to her to be clueless in responding.

“Oh! Brother So! It’s been so long! I’m so sorry we didn’t get to say farewell when you left, but it’s such a pleasure to see you again!”

She couldn’t tell who he was, but she made a great show of her excitement.

This was the goodwill of the Orthodox Martial World, after all.

So Juhang recognized her sentiments, making him slightly awkward.

But this would lend some credibility to Qing’s earlier boasts about being acquainted with the “Most Beautiful Sword.”

She felt an infinite amount of gratitude for Qing’s consideration.

The Zhangxing Company’s Nakeun branch is a grand organization unlike any common company from Nakeun.

Therefore, the martial artists being invited and treated here were filled with the elite disciples of Nakeun Military Commander.

Thus, it inadvertently created an opposite effect.

As a representative of the city, any martial officer would participate in the Martial World Tournament to build connections, so So Juhang had been stuck as a mere spectator in the open Zhangxing Company.

“I was actually hoping to visit the Nakeun Military Commander to pay my respects, but when the city was suddenly hit by calamity, I got so anxious that it all slipped my mind. I hope the Commander is doing well?”

“Oh, of course.”

“I would love to chat further, but I’m currently on my way to seek assistance from the head of Zhangxing Company in regards to the relief efforts. I apologize, but may I pass through?”

“By all means, of course, please do!”

Thus, the Nakeun Military Commander was defeated!

As Qing continued past the martial artists of Nakeun, moving towards the largest building straight ahead, yet another obstacle appeared in her path.

An elderly man with a weighty aura approached her.

He instantly raised the stakes, exuding an impressive presence that was anything but ordinary.

Qing frowned involuntarily.

What’s this—Supreme Martial Artist? No, perhaps a martial arts Realm of Transformation?

Why do all these masters keep popping up everywhere I turn?

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